Hinge



Feh 14, a R LEVANE 2949 9 HINGE Filed July 17, 1946 Patented Feb. 14, 1950 OFFICE HINGE Robert Levane, London, England Application J u y 17, 1946, Serial No. 684,156

' In Great Britain December 20, 1945 3 Claims. (Cl. 16-189) 1 u v This invention relates to hinges and has reference to spring hinges for use on doors and the like to render such doors and the like selfclosing. 1

The object of the present invention is to provide a hinge of this general character which can be economically produced and the parts of which can be assembled and disassembled without the aid of any special tools.

Thus a door fitted with such hinges will be self-closing and moreover can be readily removed and replaced.

A hinge according to the invention consists of a pair of 1 hinge plateseach having hinge-pinreceiving lugs inter-engaging coaxially with hinge-pin-receiving lugs, on the co-operating plate, said lugs being so positioned as on assembly to leave a space between the two plates, a torsion spring accommodated in the space and said spring having lateral extensions at its ends engaging th faces of the plates and a hinge pin adapted to be passed through aligned holes in the lugs and the spring to efiect the union of the parts and to centralise the spring and put it in stress, tending, to pivot the hinge plates together and maintain the same under tension, to maintain the spring under tension developed by the stress against thelateral extensions at its ends, and to maintain the hinge pin under torque by virtue of the tendency of the opposing ends of the spring under stress to move angularly about an axis transverse to its normal longitudinal cen-' tral axis, respectively the tension on the plates and the spring, and the torque on the hinge pin being increased as the hinge structure is actuated during door opening operations. v

In its preferred form the invention consists of a spring door-hinge-comprising a pair of hinge plates, hinge lugs extending from each hinge plate, the lugs of one plate interengaging with the lugs of the other plate and being so positioned as to leave a space between them and the hinge plates, on assembly, a hinge pinadapted to be passed through aligned holes in the lugs of the hinge plates and a torsion spring having lateral extensions at each end for engagement with the hinge plates adapted to be located in the space between the hinge plate lugs, the arrangement being such that the passing of the hinge pin through the aligned holes in the hinge plate lugs and the spring operates to effect-the union of the parts and to centralise the spring and put it in stress tending to pivot the hinge plates into contiguous parallelism.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated this preferred form, Figure 1 being a face view showing the hinge plates separated;

Figures 2 and 3 being elevational and end views respectively of the torsion-spring;

Figure 4 is an elevational view of the hinge pin;

Figures 5 and 6 are perspective views illustrating the method of assembly of the parts;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the complete hinge; and g a 7 Figure 8 is a view showing a modified form of, hinge the hinge plates being for convenience shown opened out against the influence of the spring. we

Referring to these drawings and particularly to Figures 1 to '7, the letters a and b designate the hinge plates which are formed with lugs al and bl which are provided with holes (12 and D2 to take a hinge pin 11 in the ordinary way. The letter c designates a torsion spring which con-, sists of a closely wound spiral of steel or like material and the ends of this spring are extended laterally as indicated at cl and 02, the extension cl at one end of the spring being displaced circumferentially with respect to the other end as shown in Figure 3 the lateral distance between ends cl and c2 as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 being less than the combined thicknesses of the hinge plates when placed side by side with their lugs in alignment. By varying the extent of this circumferential displacement the degree of torsion into which the spring is placed on assembly of the parts can be varied.

The hinge is assembled by interengaging the lugs al of th hinge plate a with the lugs bl of the hinge plate b so as to bring the holes in all the lugs into alignment. The hinge pin 11 is then passed through the lugs at one end of the hinge and the spring 0 located in the central space between the lugs, as shown by Figure 5, with the extension cl at one end in abutment against the face of one of the hinge plates. The end of the hinge pin is then entered into the other end 02 of the spring and forced through it and through the remaining lugs of the hinge plates, as shown by Figure 6 and the. parts are assembled into the finished hinge shown in Figure 7, all the parts being united together and the spring 0 put in stress as the pin passes through the coaxial bores of the lugs and spring, the coils of the spring are placed in tension due to the stress against the ends cl and 02, causing a decrease in diameter of the coils and. the development of a torque against that part of the hinge pin within the bore of the spring, by virtue of the tendency of the spring as it is brought under stress to move angularly about an axis transverse to its longitudinal central axis. It will be found that the parts are all firmly held against accidental displacement but can be readily disassembled by the simple action of forcing the hinge pin a short distance out from one end and then withdrawing it.

Thus, assuming the hinge is applied to a door and it is..requir'edf to removetheqdoor duringg furnitureshiftingoperations, for example-all that has to be done is to close the door and remove the hinge pins from the hinges. Con

jections laterally spaced from each other a disversely the door can be readily replaced by reassembly in the manner hereinbefore described.

An alternative arrangements,suitable-rior small: lnithis:v case: the,

houses, is shown in Figure 8. hinge plates a and h each have only one lug al and bl and a space at .the end of the hingeis'" left for accommodating the torsion spring c. The method of i assembly:- is: substantially the same as hereinb'efore described. That'is to say, the"- two hinge plates a and b are brought together with their lug-s aii and b] in alignment; the-spring c'is='arranged--inthespace" provided for it'and the hingepin d pushed through the spring and-'tlie-co-operating lugs;

I'rrthis-arrangement it will," however; be desirable to provide the hinge pin d with-a headdlto maintain the spring; in position;

Obviously; the number of lugsemployed may be variedat will and" a second" spring provided at the other end of the hinge.

In a" long hinge-this mayyprove-desirable'and when springs are providedat-both ends the hingepiir can-be divided into-tw-o-parts; one of which will beintroducedat" one end and the other a-t*the-otherend; the-innerends ofthe two.- parts meeting; or" substantially 'meeting, in one of" the lugs.

I claim:

1'; Ina. hinge-structurecomprising a painof hinge plates c-'a'ssemblabl'ev with respective edges; thereof: in adjacent parallelism; each of said" plates havinga' set of'itubular lugsspaced lengthwise: along; its'said". edge? and the bores in each seti of r such tubular'lugs'- being coaxial to constitute; hinge-pinereceiving' openings; the axial dimensions and spacings of" the lugs in each;set*being such" as to provide a' space along the edges of'th'e plate when the sets of lugs are coaxially assembled, the combination with a tubular .torsion spring; accommodatable' in said space with its bore in' coaxial. alignment with those of the lugs and a cylindrical. hinge. pin adaptedito: be passed through the; coaxial bores ofthesets oflugs and of ithe;spring'when*the platesware coasseinbled, saidtorsion' spring hav= ing projections at its free'ends; said: projections being laterally-spaced relativeto'ithe longitudinal axis of thefspring and from" each other 'a dis; tanceless' than the combined thickness of said coassembled hinge'plates; said hinge pin, when passed through the bores of'said lugs" and. said spring; servingjtd'align'the spring 'coaxially with the" lugs; and to spread the respective projec= tions" of" the spring, laterally; and reduce the diametenthereef, whereby-to maintain the hinge structure with the plates'under pressure; the spring under" tension, and the portions of "hinge pinp'assing through -the'bore of the spring under torque'at all times; the same respectively being increased as the plates are spread apart;

tance less than the combined thickness of said hinge plates when in adjacency, a hinge pin of diameterlessthan that of the lugs and spring adaptedltoi bespassed through the lugs and the spring fort aligning the spring coaxially with the lugs, and spreading the respective projections'ofthe spring laterally to grip the edge of the plates and reducing the diameter of the coiis thereofwl'iereby to interlocl'r the elements of the liinge structure andmaintain the same; with the plates at all times undr 'pressure; the spring at all times under tension, and the por tions of 'the hing'e piir passing-through 'the'bore (if-'- the spring at all times un'der torque; all of which are respectivelyrinereasedfi as the plates are spread apart:

3. In a hinge structure comprising a pair ofhinge plates co-a'ssemblable' with respective edges thereof in adjacent parallel-ism;- each of said plates having a set of tubularlugsspaced lengthwise along its said edge and the bores in each set of such tubular lug'sab'e'ingg coaxial to constitute hinge pin rece'iving openings ,the

axialdimensions" and' spacings of the lugs ineach set= being such" toprovi-dva central space along the-edges =of the plate wl'ien tlie sets-of lugs are coaxially" assembled-: the combination with a tubular torsion' spring accommodatable in said central-spacawith" its *boredrr coaxial alignment with those" ofthe lugs and? a cylindrical hinge p'i-rr adapted to*' be passed through the coaxial bores of the sets of lugs and- 0f the spring when the--plates-"are coassembled, said torsion" spring having projections atits fi'ee' ends; said projec tions -being 'la-terallyspacedrelative' to thelong-i=- tudinal 2 axis of the -spring -and" from each other a distance less-than the combined thickness ofsaid coassem-bled' hinge plates said" hinge pin; when passed t-lirougli'the bores of "said-lugs and said'spring; serving tb -alignthe spring coaxially withthe lugs; and'it'o' SDIBaIT tIlG-IBSPBCHVG projections of the spring-i laterally and reduce the diameter thereof? whereby-*tdma-intain the hinge structure with the plates under pressure; thespring 'under tension, and the portions of hinge pin- 'passingthrough tli'ei-b'oraof the spring I under torque at -all timesg. tIiesa-me respec-tivelyxbeing increased-" fas the platessare spread 'aparti LEV ANE."

REEERENGES GITED:

UNITED-1 STATES-PATEN TS Number Name Date 722624 Pickop' Mar.- 10,.1903 b03754? sbh midgail Sept. 3; 1912 Dick! l May: 16; 19-16 

